John Augenstein, 21, of Owensboro, Ky., posted victories over Akshay Bhatia and Ricky Castillo, the No. 5 and No. 9 players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), respectively, on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 119th U.S. Amateur Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club.

Augenstein, 21, a senior at Vanderbilt University and No. 38 in the WAGR, reeled off birdies on holes 6-8 of the renowned Course No. 2 at Pinehurst to seize control in his 3-and-2 morning victory over Bhatia, the runner-up in the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur and the highest-ranked played left in the field. In the afternoon, Augenstein built a 4-up lead over Castillo, and after an eagle-birdie-birdie blitz by Castillo brought him within one hole, the players tied the final six holes with pars.

Scoring

“I just tried to stay in the moment and understand that I’m still winning the match,” said Augenstein. “[Castillo] still has to win two holes to beat me, and as long as he doesn’t do that, I’m going to win. I think in match play, everybody is going to go on a run. I think you expect it, and that way you’re not surprised when it happens.”

Fellow Kentuckian Austin Squires, of Union, joined Augenstein in the quarterfinals as the No. 64 seed. Squires, who topped No. 1 seed and world No. 11 Brandon Wu in the Round of 64 on Wednesday, edged Stefano Mazzoli, of Italy, in 19 holes and held off John Pak, of Scotch Plains, N.J., 2 up, on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.

“Just to be in the position last year was pretty cool, but to be back here again, I know what I’m up against, and ready to get after it [on Friday],” said Squires, a recent graduate of the University of Cincinnati. “John [Pak] is one of my best friends in amateur golf. I knew what I was up against today when I played against him. I just got in a zone early and then kind of tried to coast, but he didn’t let me coast.”

Squires set up a quarterfinal matchup against the youngest player left in the field, 17-year-old Cohen Trolio, of West Point, Miss. Trolio ousted Blake Wagoner, of Cornelius, N.C., 2 and 1, in the morning and rode six birdies to a 5-and-4 win over Alex Fitzpatrick, of England, in the afternoon. Fitzpatrick was a quarterfinalist in 2018 and was vying to join his brother, Matthew, for whom Alex caddied in his 2013 U.S. Amateur victory.

Another Mississippian, Andy Ogletree, of Little Rock, joined Trolio in the quarterfinals with a 19-hole win over Maxwell Moldovan in the morning and a 5-and-4 triumph over Blake Hathcoat in the afternoon. Ogletree, 21, a senior at Georgia Tech, will take on Spencer Ralston, of Gainesville, Ga., and the University of Georgia, who ousted Julien Sale, of France, and Parker Coody, of Plano, Texas.

Twin brothers Parker and Pierceson Coody were seeking to join their grandfather, 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody, who reached the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur on Pinehurst No. 2 in 1962. But No. 12 seed Ralston eliminated Parker, 6 and 5, and No. 46 seed William Holcomb V, of Crockett, Tenn., ousted Pierceson, 2 and 1.

Augenstein will face Palmer Jackson, 18, of Murrysville, Pa., who went to the 18th hole in both matches, but defeated Jacob Solomon, 1 up, and Isaiah Salinda, 2 up.

The final quarterfinal matchup will feature Holcomb and Karl Vilips, 18, of Australia, who posted matching 3-and-1 wins over Steven Fisk, of Stockbridge, Ga., and Brad Dalke, of Norman, Okla., the 2016 runner-up in this championship.

What’s Next

The quarterfinal round will be contested starting at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, and televised on FS1 from 4-7 p.m. The winners advance to Saturday afternoon’s semifinals, beginning at 2:15. The 36-hole championship match will be played over Course No. 4 and Course No. 2, with the morning round starting at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday coverage is on Fox, from 3-6 p.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m., respectively.

Notable

The quarterfinal round includes two players from Kentucky and two players from Mississippi. The other four players are from Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Australia.

The round features a matchup of a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket (Andy Ogletree) and a University of Georgia Bulldog (Spencer Ralston). “We’re really good friends, so we're looking forward to that,” said Ogletree. “We actually said earlier in the week, hope it gets to that point. We’re both happy just to make it this far, but obviously we want to move on and get to that championship match.”

At No. 12, Spencer Ralston is the highest-seeded player remaining in the match-play bracket. John Augenstein, at No. 18, is next. Austin Squires is tied for the highest-ever finish by a No. 64 seed in the U.S. Amateur since 1979. Nathan Smith (2014) and David Lind (1988) both advanced to the quarterfinals as the No. 64 seed but lost there. No. 57 Cohen Trolio is the next-lowest remaining seed in the quarterfinal round.

Quotable

“Yesterday I was 4 down through 10 [to Thomas Forster], and I just hung in there and basically I just didn’t lose. I learned what I’m doing and understanding match play because I didn’t understand it at all before. I’ve just been kind of having fun. A lot more loose than I was yesterday.” – William Holcomb V, on his comeback in the Round of 64 on Wednesday

“My game has gotten a lot better since I got there. I was not very well-rounded with my game, I would say. I had some incredible rounds because I could hit it pretty good. But I wasn’t an all-around player. I’ve learned and gotten better with my short game, and my scoring average has gone down a stroke a year.” – Andy Ogletree, on his improvement at Georgia Tech

“Michael is a really good player, and one of the best junior golfers there is right now. When I beat him, I really knew, OK, you can pretty much compete with all these kids. I’ve played in a lot of match-play events in my last couple years and I’ve been successful, so I had a lot of confidence coming in.” – Palmer Jackson, on his victory over defending champion Michael Thorbjornsen in the U.S. Junior Amateur last month

“I did a good job of sticking to my expectations and not letting the whole, ‘This is a big USGA event’ take over my brain. So I kind of stuck to what I did.” – Cohen Trolio, 17, of West Point, Miss.

“He helps me a bunch. I trust him. He’s my man. So I know that he’s got my back. As long as you separate the difference between being a dad and a caddie and a swing coach, you’re all good.” – Cohen Trolio, whose father, V.J., is his coach as well as the head teaching professional at Old Waverly Golf Club.

Austin Squires, 22, of Union, Ky.

Instagram: austinsquires7

• No. 146 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™

• Graduated from University of Cincinnati in May 2019

• His golf coach was Doug Martin, the 1984 U.S. Junior Amateur champion

• Third No. 64 seed to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur since 1979

• Playing in his fourth USGA championship and third consecutive U.S. Amateur

• Reached the quarterfinals in last year’s U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach

• Interests outside golf include playing the guitar and wake surfing

Road to the Quarterfinals:

• Shot 70-75—145 in stroke play; advanced with a par on the fourth playoff hole to earn the No. 64 seed

• R64: Def. Brandon Wu, 2 up

• R32: Def. Stefano Mazzoli, 19 holes

• R16: Def. John Pak, 2 and 1

Cohen Trolio, 17, of West Point, Miss.

Instagram: cohen_trolio

• High school junior at Oak Hill Academy

• Has verbally committed to Louisiana State University

• Playing in his second USGA championship and first U.S. Amateur

• Father, V.J., has been the head teaching professional at Old Waverly Golf Club for more than 20 years

• His lowest competitive round is 67, which he shot in both rounds of his 2019 U.S. Amateur qualifier

• Was named the Mississippi Junior Golfer of the Year in 2018

• Won the 2018 individual Mississippi High School State Championship

Road to the Quarterfinals:

• Shot 71-73—144 in stroke play to earn the No. 57 seed

• R64: Def. Trevor Werbylo, 2 up

• R32: Def. Blake Wagoner, 2 and 1

• R16: Def. Alex Fitzpatrick, 5 and 4

Andy Ogletree, 21, of Little Rock, Miss.

Instagram: andyogletree

• No. 120 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™

• Rising senior at Georgia Tech

• Playing in his fifth USGA championship and third consecutive U.S. Amateur

• Advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur

• Won the 2019 Monroe Invitational in Pittsford, N.Y.

• Won the 2016 Cardinal Amateur at Sedgefield C.C. in Greensboro, N.C.

• Interests outside of golf include kayaking and wake surfing

Road to the Quarterfinals:

• Shot 70-72—142 in stroke play to earn the No. 20 seed

• R64: Def. Chandler Phillips, 4 and 3

• R32: Def. Maxwell Moldovan, 19 holes

• R16: Def. Blake Hathcoat, 5 and 4

Spencer Ralston, 22, of Gainesville, Ga.

Instagram: spencer_ralston

• No. 45 in World Amateur Golf Ranking™

• Rising senior at the University of Georgia

• Playing in his seventh USGA championship and fourth consecutive U.S. Amateur

• Advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur

• Won the 2019 Players Amateur with a final-round 63 at Berkeley Hall Club in Bluffton, S.C.

• Quarterfinalist in 2018 Western Amateur

Road to the Quarterfinals:

• Shot 69-72—141 in stroke play to earn the No. 12 seed

• R64: Def. Brent Ito, 2 and 1

• R32: Def. Julien Sale, 1 up

• R16: Def. Parker Coody, 6 and 5 

John Augenstein, 21, of Owensboro, Ky.

Instagram: jaugenstein

• No. 38 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking

• Senior at Vanderbilt University, where he earned third-team All-America honors

• Won the 2018 Players Amateur

• Member of the 2019 USA Palmer Cup Team

• Playing in his fifth USGA championship and second U.S. Amateur

• Advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2018 U.S. Amateur

• Semifinalist in the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur

Road to the Quarterfinals:

• Shot 70-71—141 in stroke play to earn the No. 18 seed

• R64: Def. Ryan Smith, 6 and 4

• R32: Def. Akshay Bhatia, 4 and 2

• R16: Def. Ricky Castillo, 1 up

Palmer Jackson, 18, of Murrysville, Pa.

Instagram: pdjack10

• No. 555 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking

• Graduated from Franklin Regional High School in June

• Won the Class 3A state golf championship and helped his baseball team advance to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state playoffs

• Will attend the University of Notre Dame this fall

• Playing in his fourth USGA championship and second U.S. Amateur

• Advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur

• Named after 1960 U.S. Open champion Arnold Palmer

• Won the Memorial Junior on June 6

• In Round of 16 against Isaiah Salinda, there were just two halved holes

Road to the Quarterfinals:

• Shot 66-76—142 in stroke play to earn the No. 26 seed

• R64: Def. Hayden Springer, 3 and 2

• R32: Def. Jacob Solomon, 1 up

• R16: Def. Isaiah Salinda, 2 up

William Holcomb V, 21, of Crockett, Texas

Instagram: willholcomb_v

• No. 328 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking

• Senior at Sam Houston State

• Playing in his third USGA championship and second U.S. Amateur

• Missed match play by one stroke in both the 2015 U.S. Junior Amateur and 2018 U.S. Amateur

• Made his first hole-in-one on the same day he met his eventual wife

• Was introduced to the game by his sister, Ann, who played at Stephen F. Austin University

• Interests outside of golf include traveling and duck hunting

• In Round of 64 against Thomas Forster, was 4 down through 10 holes but rallied to win six of his last eight holes

Road to the Quarterfinals:

• Shot 72-72—144 in stroke play to earn the No. 46 seed

• R64: Def. Thomas Forster, 2 up

• R32: Def. Ludvig Aberg, 1 up

• R16: Def. Pierceson Coody, 2 and 1 

Karl Vilips, 18, of Australia

Instagram: koalakarl2001

• No. 79 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking

• Senior at Saddlebrook Preparatory School

• Verbally committed to Stanford University

• Playing in his fifth USGA championship and third U.S. Amateur

• Made a hole-in-one on the sixth hole at Pinehurst No. 4 during a practice round

• Tied for sixth in the Northeast Amateur, matching the Wannamoisett course record of 61 in the third round

• Won the 2017 Southern Amateur, matching Bob Jones (1917) as the youngest champion in history

• Born in Indonesia

• Was 8 over par through 10 holes in stroke play; played his last 26 holes in 6 under par

• 5-under 65 in stroke play tied the competitive course record at Pinehurst No. 4

• Has been 2 up through 4 holes in each of his first three matches

Road to the Quarterfinals:

• Shot 77-65—142 in stroke play to earn the No. 22 seed

• R64: Def. Jansen Smith, 2 and 1

• R32: Def. Steven Fisk, 3 and 1

• R16: Def. Brad Dalke, 3 and 1